The Bee’s Knees

For this edition of Dear Mabel, Mabel is joined by Chelsea Sherbut from the Lethbridge Bee Enthusiasts.

Dear Mabel:
I purchased a bee house to hang this year, but currently our yard does not have any bee attracting plants. My plan is to hang a couple of pots nearby. What annuals can you recommend to plant in the hanging pots? Thank you!Answer:
My favourite bee friendly annual for pots is Lantana. It’s a perennial in warmer climates (and, in fact, I love it so much that I like to bring it indoors as a houseplant over the winter – it gets kind of straggly, but I usually get another bloom out of it in November!). Alyssum is commonly used as a basket filler and attracts bees as well. I also like impatiens and zinnias! Finally, many herbs that do well in pots are SUPER bee plants – thyme, oregano, mint, cilantro and chives are all super choices if you allow them to flower! Whatever you plant, observe it through the summer and see who visits (and take pictures if you can). You might get some unusual guests like the tiny iridescent green sweat bee which are very common here. Good luck!